Title: The Remains of the Day Author: Kazuo Ishiguro Date of Publication: 1988 Literary Period: Modern Genre: Tragedy Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting. The book physically takes place in the English countryside as Stevens is traveling in Mr. Farraday's Ford away from Darlington Hall towards Little Compton, Cornwall where Miss Kenton resides. However, Stevens unintentionally spends the trip pondering on the past 20 years of his life. As a result, although Stevens is physically traveling away from Darlington Hall all other senses suggest he hasn't left. Ishiguro subtly develops the English landscape as foreshadow and expression of Stevens' emotional and social situation: "this occurred just after I took a turning and found myself on a road curving around the edge of a hill. I could sense the steep drop to my left, though I could not see it due to the trees and thick foliage that lined the roadside". Without force Ishiguro reveals Stevens tragedy to the reader; he is a man who takes no stake over his own life and has conditioned himself to ever service more "dignified" persons. His issue is that, like the roadside, the power and lifestyles of England "curving around the edge of a hill"/slowly losing its intense world importance and yet doesn't notice.
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
Stevens' constant strive for dignity, loyalty, and greatness result in his isolation from branching out of the world of butlery he is born. Ishiguro explores both a man's inability to accept the way events happen in a life and his attempts to justify his actions in accordance.
True dignity involves making one's own mistakes, rather than the blind acceptance of another's opinions. Compliance and lack of conscious choice, in Stevens' case, takes away all traces of his individualism.
Actions and choices and a lack thereof will affect how a life is spent, but once all is said and done, the only act left is to enjoy what's left. I can't put it more eloquently than the ex-butler on the bench: "The evening's the best part of the day."
Ishiguro parallels Stevens' struggles to cope with his past and how his life has turned out with the rise of the British empire, and it's inability to accept the new power's of the world and move on. Great Britain, like Stevens, has been around for a while, and done it's time - the novel looks at both the old butler and the old country's slow descent into the night.
Progress can only be achieved by changing with the world. Old countries fall; new countries arise. With it, come new customs, new ideas, new inventions, innovation. Stevens' provides an example of how the people who don't change transform into this worthless artifact.
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here.
After much consideration of a supposed trips usefulness to his master, Stevens accepts Mr. Farraday's offer to take some time off from work. NOTE: Mr. Farraday wants Stevens to take leisure time while Stevens still schemes to justify the professional importance of his break. In reality Stevens is attempting to cover up his long desire to visit 'Miss Kenton' with a more "dignified" reasoning (NOTE: sarcasm).
On Day One Stevens is warily realizes his present action and freaks out. He
elaborates on the greatness of the English countryside and relates that to the greatness of a butler. He goes on for pages about dignity, loyalty, and greatness, telling the tiger-in-the-kitchen story, and his father's stern-driving-the-drunk-employers story.
On the morning of Day Two, Stevens' revisits Miss Kenton's letters, and, subsequently, her time at Darlington Hall. She arrives and the two butt heads immediately (she's a firecracker, that one), but he fondly remembers the times they have discussing his father's state of health and his ability to work, one day looking out the window to see him searching the ground for something he lost.
Then he goes on a tangent about this really important political conference in 1923 he has the privilege of butlering. He recounts his father's illness during these tense political meetings between the significant social figures of the major world powers. As his father's health deteriorates, so does the amity among nations. Father Stevens' dies. Stevens' copes by continuing with his duties, because a great butler keeps his cool in situations like that.
Stevens' has to get gas in the present day, and as he gets gas, confers with the attendant, discussing his profession. However, Stevens' denies ever working for Lord Darlington (is he ashamed?). Stevens' also mentions that he believes a butler's greatness also (as well as loyalty and dignity) depends on the greatness (dignity) of his employer.
Stevens' thinks back to the importance of silver and his contributions to the political happenings of the time of his silver polishing days.
He then thinks back to the anti-Semitism conjectures about Lord Darlington and gives the back story on all of that. Lord Darlington was hanging out with a couple of blackshirts, being a good host and all, and eventually they rubbed off on him. Since all Lord Darlington wants is peace between nations - but more importantly, rest among his guests - he tells Stevens' to fire the two Jewish maids on hand. Stevens' complies. Miss Kenton gets mad and threatens to leave herself.
Then Stevens' starts thinking about Miss Kenton, and how nice their chats by the fireside (completely platonic...........) were. I guess there aren't that close though, or Stevens' really does have the emotional capacity of a well-polished spoon, because when her aunt dies, he really sucks at consoling her.
Back in the present day, Stevens' has nice conversations with the people of the inn he stays at. He hears some differing opinions on politics. One man believes that it is every Englishman's right and duty to be involved in the politics of the country and what goes on.
And whabam! Stevens' meets Miss Kenton in a hotel. They have nice chats. Lots of beating around the bush by Stevens, but Miss Kenton cuts to the chase. They catch up, and eventually the big question gets popped - does she love her husband? Of course. Much to Stevens' dismay. They say their goodbyes, perhaps the last they'll ever say to one another. It's quite a somber departure.
Then Stevens sits on a bench and reflects on his journey. Like, his actual journey. And he talks to a fellow butler (well, ex-butler) and they chit-chat about life, and Stevens realizes his blindness of following Lord Darlington. Quite upsetting. But this ex-butler-Jesus-archetype character quells his worries and gives the sage advice to stop looking in the past and enjoy the remains of the day.
Ta da, somewhat hopeful ending.
Oh yeah, and Stevens vows to work on his bantering skills as a way to search for true joy in his life.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
"...looking down at the ground as though he hoped to find some precious jewel he had dropped there" (50).
Stevens' father, after he has a stroke and actually notices his deteriorating health, searches for something in this scene. He's doing exactly what Stevens' does the whole novel: searching through the past to justify if it is enough to be satisfied about.
"Gentlemen like our good host still believe it's their business to meddle in matters they don't understand" (102).
The drunk-ish American is very wise. Great Britain is a slowly retreating power in the grand scheme of things, constantly trying to smooth feathers in a changing world that wants to embrace the change. Great Britain's efforts all involve appeasement, whereas the Americans are all about self-motivating actions.
"And one has a right, perhaps, to feel a satisfaction. . .of being able to say with some reason that one's efforts. . .comprise a contribution to the course of history" (139).
So sad, Stevens...here, he justifies how his silver-polishing has changed the world in his own little way.
"Why, Mr. Stevens, why, why, why do you always have to pretend?" (154).
Miss Kenton shoots me right in the heart. Stevens spends his whole life pretending to be this aware, involved butler in the world of politics. However, he is helpless to what goes on by a blind choice.
"You can't have dignity if you're a slave. But every Englishman can grasp it if he cares to. Because we fought for that right" (186).
Stevens does not exhibit this, whatsoever. In fact, I'd argue that he is a slave.
"Other great nations know full well that to meet the challenges of each new age means discarding old, sometimes well-loved methods" (197).
"A butler who is forever attempting to formulate his own 'strong opinions' on his employer's affairs is bound to lack one quality essential in all good professionals: namely, loyalty" (200).
Here, we see Stevens' justifications for never involving himself emotionally in Lord Darlington's decisions, for example firing the Jewish maids. Stevens believes that a truly great butler won't let his own opinions (if he even has those) to get in the way of serving his master.
[On dignity]: "It comes down to not removing one's clothes in public" (210).
Hehehehehehe
"One can't be forever dwelling on what might have been" (239).
Ah, Miss Kenton. So wise. This is the theme in a nutshell.
"I gave my best to Lord Darlington. I gave him the very best I had to give, and now - well - I find I do not have a great deal more left to give" (242).
"I can't even say I made my own mistakes. Really - one has to ask oneself - what dignity is there in that?" (243).
The above two quotes mark a slight but sure change in our sweet Stevens. Maybe he still justifies his past a little, and maybe remains quite blind to what could've been, but at least his recognizes something unsettling about his past.
"The evening's the best part of the day" (244).
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
The opening prologue gives much evidence of what kind of character our butler is. Stevens' is quiet, awkward, submissive. The novel opens with Mr. Farraday's casual, but belabored insistence that Stevens' take a few days off. He works entirely too hard. Stevens' won't even hear of it. And he doesn't constantly refuse in one of those chuckle-chuckle-oh-no-I-couldn't-possibly kind of ways. No, he's just really awkward. But from just those few exchanges between butler and employer, we can file Stevens as a socially uncomfortable workaholic. Kind of a Gregor Samsa of sorts. Also in this scene, we see Stevens' quiet obsession with Miss Kenton, a former employee of Darlington Hall that keeps the occasional (and by occasional, I mean like...every couple of years - like Christmas card occasional) contact via letters. Stevens mentions her with a slight bounce in tone, indication that he looooooooves her (seriously, you can just tell with these kind of things), but he won't even admit it to himself. So Stevens' is a lonely, stiff, workaholic, who missed his one true love. Sad. Then, in the prologue, Stevens also assesses his inability to casually banter, something his new American employer enjoys. His lack of social wit is slightly amusing to Mr. Farraday, although Stevens' would never speak ill of his authentic English butler. The prescence of the new American employer also indicates that America is rising as a world power over England. And that's the prologue. Boom.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
Here, Stevens sits on a bench at a pier, smiling to himself. He has a pleasant conversation with an ex-butler, much to Stevens' delight (hard to find these kind of guys anymore to converse with). Here, as he sits on this bench, watching the beautiful night lights come on, with this random man, we see a shift in Stevens' character. He's honest with himself (as honest as he'll ever be, that is). He remarks that maybe he shouldn't have spent his entire life blindly submissive to his employer...after all, how much dignity lies in a man who "can't even say I made my own mistakes." This is quite a revelation for a man who has spent his whole life with very little original opinion, and who has striven for greatness since he became a butler. The tiny comment, however insignificant or obvious to an American or commoner, is a leap for Stevens. He spends the whole book justifying his reasons for his decisions only to remark at the end that there is little justification in them. So what is there to do? Pick up your stuff and move on! And Stevens' way to lift up his elbows and carry on, his means of impressing his new American employer and keeping up with the times, is through bantering. And however sad a way to end a book as that is, it's all Stevens', as an airtight, realistic character can give us. He can't change overnight. But damn it, if he can, he'll keep practicing his banter! It ends the book on a sort of tragic, but quietly hopeful tone.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
Ishiguro is a master of subtlety, leaving very little in the dialogue to be analyzed, while the landscape and pastoral passages reveal more about the characters than anything else. Particularly the descriptions of the English countryside ("lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart" (28), "sense of restraint" (29)) correlate much to Stevens' as a character. Equally as significant, the landscape passage on page 24, that describes "trees and thick foliage" that blinds Stevens' from the "steep drop to my left", followed by his "slight sense of alarm". This nature is parallel to his inability and reluctance to pursue this journey, of analyzing his past, of meeting Miss Kenton, of progressing with the world: "I was perhaps not on the correct road at all, but speeding off in totally the wrong direction into a wilderness" (24). Ishiguro's use of imagery as a symbol of a character's journey continues to the very end, when Stevens' begins to fall apart. He describes a shelter by the train station that bears striking resemblance to both Stevens' outward facade and his inward crumbling: "looked very sturdy. . .Inside, the paint was peeling everywhere" (237). Ishiguro's style is subtle and quietly honest. Little hand gestures and a lack of conversation (what isn't being said) reveal the most about his themes and big picture moments.
List importance characters and their significance.
Stevens: a lonely, stiff, workaholic old chap. In a nutshell. He represents us, people, and our inability to sometimes accept the things we've done (or haven't), and our habits in justifying our actions in the past in order to cope with the present. This also applies to England as a falling world power of the time period - unable to accept that a new age is on the horizon. Quite simply, he spends the whole novel wishy-washing around the past, gloating about his job and his strives for dignity. By the end of the novel the sad realizations hit him, and he feels his own heart break. Stevens' represents one possible solution to dealing with the past - denial and a resolution to do better in the future. He doesn't drastically change as a character, but there is a quiet, subtle overtone of hope as he resolves not to dwell on the past anymore and to better himself for the changing present and future.
Mrs. Benn (nee Kenton): she represents both possibility and regret to our dear Stevens. She is a living example of Stevens' denial (he never even calls her by her married name, rather, sticks to Miss Kenton). However, as much as she is a symbol of regret and possibility and the past for him, she herself has regrets. When she is asked to be married, she loves Stevens. But she is stubborn and wants him to say it back, constantly hinting to him her true feelings. Any high school girl knows that hinting at anything to a guy is utterly futile. But knowing Stevens' character type, he wouldn't have been enough for her had they ended up together. He would devote more to his job than his love. Sure, she marries the better guy and learns to love him and accepts the fate she chooses. She represents another solution to dealing with regrets - she accepts them and moves on.
Lord Darlington: ahhhh, a well-meant man, just a little confused up in the noggin. He is a man who tries to do the best for his falling country (even though he doesn't actually have any political stance in the matters...just money), but he just makes the wrong decisions. Stevens' never views him in a bad light, and, whether that's him as an unreliable narrator or not, I like to think that L.D. is a righteous dude who, like Stevens' with the past, can't accept the uncertainty of the future and does his best to cope.
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Date of Publication: 1988
Literary Period: Modern
Genre: Tragedy
Describe the setting and then explain the relevance of the setting.
The book physically takes place in the English countryside as Stevens is traveling in Mr. Farraday's Ford away from Darlington Hall towards Little Compton, Cornwall where Miss Kenton resides. However, Stevens unintentionally spends the trip pondering on the past 20 years of his life. As a result, although Stevens is physically traveling away from Darlington Hall all other senses suggest he hasn't left. Ishiguro subtly develops the English landscape as foreshadow and expression of Stevens' emotional and social situation: "this occurred just after I took a turning and found myself on a road curving around the edge of a hill. I could sense the steep drop to my left, though I could not see it due to the trees and thick foliage that lined the roadside". Without force Ishiguro reveals Stevens tragedy to the reader; he is a man who takes no stake over his own life and has conditioned himself to ever service more "dignified" persons. His issue is that, like the roadside, the power and lifestyles of England "curving around the edge of a hill"/slowly losing its intense world importance and yet doesn't notice.
Themes (These statements should be complete sentences and completely developed ideas)
Plot Summary (Please do not copy and paste. Simply list the high points of the novel) - Consider creating a visual flow chart or graph and posting it here.
Memorable Quotes and their SIGNIFICANCE.
Describe the significance of the opening scene.
The opening prologue gives much evidence of what kind of character our butler is. Stevens' is quiet, awkward, submissive. The novel opens with Mr. Farraday's casual, but belabored insistence that Stevens' take a few days off. He works entirely too hard. Stevens' won't even hear of it. And he doesn't constantly refuse in one of those chuckle-chuckle-oh-no-I-couldn't-possibly kind of ways. No, he's just really awkward. But from just those few exchanges between butler and employer, we can file Stevens as a socially uncomfortable workaholic. Kind of a Gregor Samsa of sorts. Also in this scene, we see Stevens' quiet obsession with Miss Kenton, a former employee of Darlington Hall that keeps the occasional (and by occasional, I mean like...every couple of years - like Christmas card occasional) contact via letters. Stevens mentions her with a slight bounce in tone, indication that he looooooooves her (seriously, you can just tell with these kind of things), but he won't even admit it to himself. So Stevens' is a lonely, stiff, workaholic, who missed his one true love. Sad. Then, in the prologue, Stevens also assesses his inability to casually banter, something his new American employer enjoys. His lack of social wit is slightly amusing to Mr. Farraday, although Stevens' would never speak ill of his authentic English butler. The prescence of the new American employer also indicates that America is rising as a world power over England. And that's the prologue. Boom.
Describe the significance of the closing scene.
Here, Stevens sits on a bench at a pier, smiling to himself. He has a pleasant conversation with an ex-butler, much to Stevens' delight (hard to find these kind of guys anymore to converse with). Here, as he sits on this bench, watching the beautiful night lights come on, with this random man, we see a shift in Stevens' character. He's honest with himself (as honest as he'll ever be, that is). He remarks that maybe he shouldn't have spent his entire life blindly submissive to his employer...after all, how much dignity lies in a man who "can't even say I made my own mistakes." This is quite a revelation for a man who has spent his whole life with very little original opinion, and who has striven for greatness since he became a butler. The tiny comment, however insignificant or obvious to an American or commoner, is a leap for Stevens. He spends the whole book justifying his reasons for his decisions only to remark at the end that there is little justification in them. So what is there to do? Pick up your stuff and move on! And Stevens' way to lift up his elbows and carry on, his means of impressing his new American employer and keeping up with the times, is through bantering. And however sad a way to end a book as that is, it's all Stevens', as an airtight, realistic character can give us. He can't change overnight. But damn it, if he can, he'll keep practicing his banter! It ends the book on a sort of tragic, but quietly hopeful tone.
Describe the author's style and provide examples from the text.
Ishiguro is a master of subtlety, leaving very little in the dialogue to be analyzed, while the landscape and pastoral passages reveal more about the characters than anything else. Particularly the descriptions of the English countryside ("lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart" (28), "sense of restraint" (29)) correlate much to Stevens' as a character. Equally as significant, the landscape passage on page 24, that describes "trees and thick foliage" that blinds Stevens' from the "steep drop to my left", followed by his "slight sense of alarm". This nature is parallel to his inability and reluctance to pursue this journey, of analyzing his past, of meeting Miss Kenton, of progressing with the world: "I was perhaps not on the correct road at all, but speeding off in totally the wrong direction into a wilderness" (24). Ishiguro's use of imagery as a symbol of a character's journey continues to the very end, when Stevens' begins to fall apart. He describes a shelter by the train station that bears striking resemblance to both Stevens' outward facade and his inward crumbling: "looked very sturdy. . .Inside, the paint was peeling everywhere" (237). Ishiguro's style is subtle and quietly honest. Little hand gestures and a lack of conversation (what isn't being said) reveal the most about his themes and big picture moments.
List importance characters and their significance.